The relevance of the study is conditioned by the need for formation of theoretical and practical knowledge and technologies that allow to determine the structure of motivation of socio-political and protest activity. The purpose of the study is to investigate motivation of protest and socio-political activity of an individual and its potential within the system of life-purpose orientations. Presumably, the motivational structure of socio-political and protest activity reveals similarities in the manifestation of qualitative and quantitative characteristics. The study was carried out on a sample of university students (N = 153) from the city of Saratov aged from 18 to 24 years using the following psycho-diagnostic tools: a questionnaire aimed at registering various forms of social activity (R. M. Shamionov, I. V. Arendachuk, E. E. Bocharova, et.al.); the author’s questionnaire aimed at studying motivation of socio-po litical and protest activity (M. A. Klenova); Basic Beliefs Scale (developed by R. YanoffBulman and modified by M. A. Padun and A. V. Kotelnikova); Life-Purpose Orientations Test (D. A. Leontiev). We found out that socio-political and protest forms of activity are not preferable for young people. We also determined the main motives of socio-political and protest activity: interest, reputation, the need to change the world, active civic position and self-expression. We established the similarity of motives for actualization of socio-political and protest activity. The motives for socio-political activity are the interest in the benevolence of the world around and the desire for personal reputation, maintaining a positive image of the ego and controlling personal invulnerability. The motives for protest activity are the need to implement active civic position and change the world outside and the need to control life events. The obtained data can be implemented in the practice of organizing socially useful activities of young people, taking into account the motives of its actualization.